Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 29018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 145(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
The corner of my lip kicks upward. “You need a ride back to the hotel afterwork?”
“Nah. Brittanee – the cute blonde cashier near paints – volunteered to drop me off.”
It’s impossible not to grow a curious glare. “Is that all she offered?”
His chuckles provide me with nothing more than further speculation.
At least he’s already making a friend.
Jedd cheerfully presents more exiting customers with seasonal goodbyes prior to playfully poking, “You were worried when you swung by my place, weren’t you?”
I remain silent as opposed to admitting anything.
“Look, Archer, I meant what I said about not messing this up.” His hand waves once more in greeting, attention required to be on them not me. “I am not gonna let this opportunity go to waste.” Our stares meet again. “And I’m not gonna let you or your wife or those girls down.” His grin is warm but firm. “I promise.”
More nodding is accompanied by a quieter question, “You wanna join us for Christmas festivities tomorrow?”
Surprise bursts through his expression similar to the way it did when the offer to help him back on his feet was first tossed out. “You want me over…to your house?”
“Yeah, if you wanna come.” Sliding my hands into my pockets is followed by an innocent shrug. “We’d be happy to have you.”
His jaw bobs around momentarily in speechlessness. “You’re serious?”
Remembering using the same tone with the woman I love leads me to using a warmer one like she did. “Absolutely.”
Jedd blushes during his bashful acceptance. “Yeah, I’d um…I’d love to spend Christmas…not alone this year.”
“Anymore, Jedd.” Jaye’s sweet voice unexpectedly states as she arrives. “You never have to spend the holidays alone again.” Henz tugs at my pant leg to be picked up while her mother adds, “You’re always welcomed at our place.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Cox.”
“Jaye.”
“Mom,” Henz needlessly tries to correct.
“She’s not his mom,” Rainne begins to explain.
“But she is a mom,” her sister whines.
“Yes, but our mom.” She looks up at her sibling. “Let’s talk about the word mom, okay?”
“Okay!” Henz excitedly agrees.
Weird byproduct of having a school librarian for a wife.
They begin an odd discussion that Jaye can’t stay out of leaving me with no choice but to quietly instruct that Jedd text tomorrow whenever he’s ready to be picked up.
After collecting the fire logs – that I know we didn’t need like I pretended we did – the four of us head to the restaurant for our traditional dinner.
Maggie’s idea. She didn’t like the terrible memory we all had attached to our original time together, so she took it upon herself to try to rewrite a wrong, if you will. Rainne’s first Christmas Eve is when this new custom started and has followed every one since.
Our meal is as lively as ever with the girls gushing about Santa giving them their Christmas gift early. My mother-in-law struggles not to cry over what she calls a “Hallmark Moment” while her husband leaks a few casual details about what he thinks the jolly red suit man did to make it happen that have Jaye shooting me continual glances of admiration.
Dinner naturally leads to dessert, yet our daughters can barely keep their eyes open by the time it’s actually delivered. We decide to exit before the bill – per my in laws insistence – and promise to see them later.
Later of course for me being when Charles swings by to drop off the wrapped gifts we keep at their house.
We used to try to keep them at our place – I mean it’s fucking big enough – but my oldest detective – who recently started reading The Hardy Boys to add unnecessary difficulty to the situation – made it her mission to hunt for items in the house she believed were supposed to be gifts for them. It was hard to criticize her curiosity, and once she turned her little sister into her own Watson, we knew other measures had to be taken. Thankfully, the girls haven’t put it together yet to investigate their grandparents’ property for presents. Unfortunately, I imagine that’s not a faraway concept.
Getting the girls into a bath and their matching Christmas pajamas that we also have a matching set of is much easier than expected. Whether that’s because they know Santa is traveling and keeping an eye on them or because they’re thankful their wishes already came true is unknown. We read How the Grinch Stole Christmas together snuggled up on our purple couch with each of us saying different lines. Afterward, Rainne and Henz put out Santa’s cookies, the elves cookies – with a note to take them back to the North Pole – and toss magical reindeer food in the yard as well as the feeder. During the entire event, Jaye takes lots of pictures, sending most to her parents who have literal Christmas Scrapbooks from over the years. We divide and conquer the actual tucking them in process – post promising to add a line about Jedd to the thank you letters – and make sure to switch rooms to say good night to the other child. Jaye and I read on the couch side by side for about an hour – time we really use to ensure they don’t go looking for Santa – before executing the next portion of the plan. Jaye sneaks peaks on the girls to ensure they’re sleeping and as soon as we have the all clear, I slip into our bedroom to put on my Santa costume I keep in our gun safe while she texts her dad to bring the gifts over.